Aubrey Nelson
Unlike a north-facing room, which relies heavily on paint colour and lighting to feel lively, a south-facing room feels warm and inviting all on its own as it gets direct infusions of natural sunlight all day long. The most important (and complicated) thing to remember about a south-facing room is that the quality of natural sunlight changes throughout the day. Overall, southern light is warm and yellow toned, yet it can wash colours out when the sun is at its peak.
A colour that looks perfect in the middle of the day might become too bright in the morning and over-the-top glowing in the late afternoon. This type of south-facing room has TONS of natural sunlight due to the amount of window space. Adding a cool colour to a room like this is a great way to lower the visual heat, making it appear more comfortable and balanced.
A medium-depth paint colour can also work well in a well-lit room and tends to balance intense light quite nicely. A bright room can look awesome painted a dark colour, especially in the cooler range as it would help balance the warm rays coming in the window. Read more: Learn About Light, Medium and Dark Depth Paint Colours with LRV I particularly like the ones in the softer, stormier cool range (as shown below) rather than the icy cold end of things.
Light cool colours add vitality and energy to a space that can sometimes feel a bit heavy with heat. The medium-toned range can also work well in a south-facing room that doesn’t have a ton of light coming in.
I find that just like with well-lit rooms, they balance the light quite nicely, but will create a cosier, more intimate look. Shown above: BM Pale Oak with Ballet White glazed cabinets
Read more: Paint Colour Review: Benjamin Moore Gray Owl The LRV of Gray Owl is 65.0, so it’s going to reflect some decent light back into the room – not tons, but some.
It also means that at the peak of a sunny day, it could lose a lot of its beautiful colour, but once the sun shifts it will come right on back. One thing to consider is because south-facing light is warm (yellowish) and Stonington Gray is cold (blue), sometimes, when they’re mixed together you’ll get a vague hint of green, which is a colour that is tucked WAAAAAAY back in Stonington Gray (and doesn’t usually show up to the party).
It has a nice grounded base, which cuts back any golden tendencies and can even pick up a weee tiny wink o’ green. The LRV of Grant Beige is 56, meaning it really won’t reflect much light into a room at all. In a reasonably well-lit room, it will be at its peak of perfection and offer a nice neutral backdrop to your furnishings.
The cream and the beige are stronger than the gray, and this comes a bit more into play in a south-facing room, without making things overheat.
Ballet White is one of the lighter neutrals on this page and is great if you’re looking for a versatile, easy choice. In a south-facing room, you could expect it to lean a BIT more into its warmer side, without going entirely beige.
Read more: Paint Colour Review: Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray Hiding inside are muddy purple and green undertones which stop this colour from feeling flat, heavy and boring – but they ALSO make it a bit unpredictable! In a south-facing room, the warm yellow light coming in ‘might’ bring out those subtle undertones (particularly green) just a bit more than usual.
Antique Pewter is a lovely medium-toned gray paint colour with soft green undertones.
It has a great visual weight and the green undertone gives it colour and makes it interesting, without being overly dominant. Read more: The Ultimate Guide to LRV – Don’t Pick a Paint Colour Without it!
The LRV of Revere Pewter is 55 and is a great depth for almost any reasonably well-lit room, however, its green undertone CAN be slightly unpredictable, so be sure to read its colour review. Read more: Paint Colour Review: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter This blend makes it flexible and slightly susceptible to change throughout the daylight hours.
With an LRV of 61, it will add some life to a room – not drastically so, but it IS on the lighter side of things.
It will hold its own quite well in a WELL-lit south-facing room and won’t get washed out too much at the height of the day. The LRV of Carolina Gull is 27.0, so it’s quite low – particularly compared to some of the fresher and brighter colours on this page.
Mountain Air is a beautiful, restful green with a slightly warm gray undertone, so it’s not terribly cold feeling.
